Socialist Appeal
The Marxist voice of Labour and youth
We continue here Alan Woods' series looking at the theoretical differences between Marxism and anarchism. In this second part, Alan examines the role of leadership, the relationship between Marxists and the mass organisations, the origins of bureaucracy, and how political consciousness develops and changes.
We publish here a series by Alan Woods looking at the theoretical differences between Marxism and anarchism. In this first part, Alan explores the vital questions of "spontaneity vs organisation" and "reform or revolution", looking at the role of the revolutionary party and its relationship to the end goal of a communist society.
Silvio Berlusconi, the former Prime Minister of Italy, has, after numerous trials for countless crimes, finally been convicted. This wealthy politicians and businessman has protested about being the victim of a politicised judiciary. Such an accusation raises an important question: is the judiciary under capitalism "political"? Ben Gliniecki looks at the role of judges and the law in capitalist society.
In 1949, Ted Grant, founder of the Militant Tendency and Socialist Appeal, wrote a polemical response to Tony Cliff on the class nature of the Soviet Union, arguing against Cliff's theory of "State Capitalism". Ted's response provides an in-depth Marxist analysis on a range of questions, from the transition from capitalism to socialism, to the key issues of the state and the nature of Stalinism. For more on this topic, visit our Marxist Summer School, where Jorge Martin will be speaking on these questions.
In the final part of the series on Marxism and Anarchism, Alan Woods explores the question of the state - one of the main points that has traditionally divided Marxism and anarchism. So just what is the state? Marxism explains that the state is a product and a manifestation of the irreconcilability of class antagonisms in society. It arises where, when, and insofar as class antagonisms cannot be reconciled. Conversely, the very existence of the state proves that the class antagonisms are irreconcilable.